Vital Essence 3

Please state how many weeks you have been pregnant, so we can make sure we send you the right product for each month.

Alternatively, you may prefer to buy a few month's supply in one go. We can now offer a 10% reduction (ex p&p) on all orders of two or more of any of the products from the Vital and ReVital Essence range. If you choose to place your order via the web-site, the system will calculate your discount for you automatically.

Don't worry if you order a number of products and then decide not to use any of them; simply return them to us, unopened, and we will be happy to refund what you paid.

• Beta Carotene - helps protect, safely, against Vitamin A deficiency.
  
• Biotin - essential for the normal functioning of the nervous system. The concentration of biotin in breast milk is 15 times higher than in the mother's blood, which may suggest that Biotin is very important for a baby's growth and development.
• Calcium - needed initially for the development of the nervous system and strong, healthy bones and teeth. Most of a baby's calcium is deposited in this trimester as its bones and teeth harden. The foetus takes up calcium at the rate of approx 350mg a day, so the mother needs a plentiful supply to prevent it being scavenged from her own skeleton.
• Choline - an essential nutrient required by the body to make important compounds necessary for healthy cell membranes. Demand for choline during pregnancy is very high due to its transfer from the mother to the foetus.
• Folic Acid (folate) - critically important for normal cell division and normal tissue growth during pregnancy. Supplementation can be important as good supplies may be hard to find through food alone.
• Fruit extracts - (pomegranate and grapeskin). Added, along with Alpha-Lipoic Acid and N-Aacetyl Cysteine, to provide a broader spectrum of anti-oxidants.
• Iodine - an essential micro-nutrient in the human diet, most particularly as a component of thyroid hormones, which play a vital role in the regulation of metabolic processes such as energy expenditure.
• Iron - makes haeomoglobin, the substance which carries oxygen in the blood. Women often have low Iron status entering pregnancy because of menstrual blood loss. A common symptom of deficiency is pica, a craving for strange foods. Iron is not absorbed well without Vitamin C and taking it on its own can lead to the loss of essential minerals. Also important for the normal functioning of the immune system, normal cognitive function and normal cell division. 
• Magnesium - essential for energy production, for proper nerve function and for every major metabolic reaction. Few enzymes (the protein molecules which carry out the the DNA's instructions in the body) can work without it.
• Selenium - an important anti-oxidant, helping to support normal thyroid function. Critical for a mother's defences against infection as well as helping to protect maternal DNA.
• Vitamin C - A valuable antioxidant. Helps to protect against damage to chromosones. Also added to help with energy production, the formation of collagen and the (critically important) absorption of Iron.
• Vitamin D - important to help maintain a healthy inflammatory response and the normal functioning of the immune system. The Department of Health now recommends that all women should consider supplementing with Vitamin D during pregnancy. Recent research from our clinic shows that over half of all women who have their Vitamin D status tested are deficient.
• Vitamin E - essential for metabolism and the protection of DNA, proteins and lipids from oxidative damage.
• Zinc - essential for the normal function of the immune system and the proper metabolism of fatty acids and Vitamin A. Critically important for normal fertility and reproduction.

Source Ingredients:
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Calcium Citrate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin C (as Ascorbic Acid), Magnesium Citrate, Magnesium Oxide, Choline Bitartrate, Ferrous Fumarate, Pomegranate Extract, N-Acetyl Cysteine, Zinc Citrate, Modified Tapioca Starch, Niacin (as Nicotinamide), Alpha-Lipoic Acid, Pantothenic Acid (as Calcium Pantothenate), Grapeskin Extract, Anti-caking Agent: Silicon Dioxide; Coenzyme Q10, Olive Oil, Vitamin B6 (as Pyridoxine Hydrochloride), Thiamin ((Vitamin B1) as Thiamine Hydrochloride), Magnesium Stearate, Inositol, Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Manganese Gluconate, Vitamin E (as D-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate) 1, Colour: Titanium Dioxide; Soya Oil 1, Acacia Gum, Beta Carotene, Copper Citrate, Sunflower Oil, Sucrose, Corn Starch, Lycopene, Lutein, Chromium Chloride, Folic Acid, Potassium Iodide, Antioxidants: Natural Mixed Tocopherols 1, Ascorbyl Palmitate; Biotin, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin B12 (as Methylcobalamin), Vitamin D3 (as Cholecalciferol). Allergen Information: 1 - From Soya

Do the ingredients in Vital Essence 3 contain the RDA?

Yes – they have been approved by the HFMA and are formulated in conjunction with Department of Health guidelines.

My GP says if I am eating a good diet, I do not need to take vitamins?

In our view, even if you have a healthy diet - which many people don't these days, given missed, hurried or convenience meals - you can't always be sure you are getting the vitamins and minerals you need. Not least because intensive food production and processing have stripped many foods of a lot of their nourishment. In our opinion, a good multi-vitamin and mineral supplement is valuable during pregnancy, if only as an insurance policy.

My appetite has gone off, I don’t want to eat as much. May I take Vital Essence 3 instead of food?

No, you must maintain a good diet, especially one rich in carbohydrates, during the end of pregnancy. Carbohydrates will give you fuel for labour.

What is "RDA" and why are so many of the ingredients in Vital Essence 3 higher than 100%?

"RDA" is an abbreviation of "Recommended Daily Allowance." The RDA was devised by the Dept of Health in the UK in 1979 to provide guidance on the intake of a limited number of specific vitamins and minerals that an average adult should have daily in order to avoid a deficiency that may lead to disease or general ill-health. Whereas this was, and remains, a useful benchmark for judging the contribution that any supplement may make to reaching those minimum requirements, it wasn't intended to represent an indication of optimum intake. You will probably have noticed that many supplements, particularly premium priced ones such as our own, contain daily levels that are frequently many times higher than the RDA, sometimes substantially so. This is because the vitamins and minerals concerned have been set at therapeutic levels in an attempt to boost the body's store of the nutrients concerned, often for a particular and limited period of time, the need for which can of course vary depending on factors such as general health, age etc. It is universally recognised that pregnancy, and preparing for pregnancy, for example, benefit from special attention to nutrition on the part of both partners. All of the formulations within the Zita West range are well within the Government's guidelines for what represents the upper safe limit (USL) for long term daily supplementation of any given nutrient.

Vital DHA during the third trimester

During the last trimester of pregnancy, the baby goes through a period of intense development called the brain spurt. At this time, your baby's brain will take up 70% of your calorie intake and demand for DHA is greater than ever. We strongly recommend that all our clients consider supplementing their DHA intake before and after this critical period.